If you recall earlier posts such as Joseph Heidecker’s Photofurniture, Difasa’s Quadrum Wall Panels, and Noodle’s Digital Wallcoverings, then you know that image transfer technology has come a long way. Each of these products helps to facilitate the truly comprehensive range of contemporary choices for surface adornment. Designtex’s Rinekwall pushes this envelope just a little bit further, as the product explores the potential of endless repeat. The notion requires a bit of context: the history of Rinekwall starts with the collaboration between interior designer Dana Agamalian and photographer/digital artist John Rinek. The designer had a vision for wall to wall and floor to ceiling imagery that was not confined to the actual bounds of the original photograph. Working with Rinek, the two developed a way to create perpetually repeating designs, such that no matter the perspective of the viewer, the integrity of the image holds fast.

Peacock Dream. Designed by Rinekwall.

Unparalleled Potential for Creativity in Surface Design

Manufacturer Designtex brings another level of technological achievement into the mix. The company’s state of the art printing and imaging has helped Rinek and Agamalian to achieve the aspiration of “real life images on a wallcovering substrate.” The enduring emblem for Rinekwall would seem to be an unending strand of barbed wire, which was the original impetus for the collaboration between the two artists. That intriguing image has certainly found favor among aficionados, yet it may be a bit dark for some sensibilities, so Designtex offers a myriad of Rinekwall images—some bright and sunny, others of darker disposition. Of the 22 designs proffered on the Designtex website, three really grab my attention: “Wired,” “Baby Tears,” and “Marble Mix.”

The most conventional of these is “Baby Tears”—a vividly impressive bed of perennial greens so real you can almost hear it respire. “Wired” is an up-close-and-personal, and therefore hyper-real, glimpse at the technological rainbow of different gauges of electrical wire; and “Marble Mix” really needs no explanation—just imagine how this archetypal child’s pastime might appear to a bug, and you’ll get the idea.

Marble Mix. Designed by Rinekwall.

Baby Tears. Designed by Rinekwall.

Wired. Designed by Rinekwall.

Beyond the range of images, Rinekwall offers options like anti-microbial coatings for healthcare environments, anti-graffiti finishes, and micro-venting materials for applications in which breathability is required. In accordance with their environmental credo, Designtex employs ecologically mindful materials for their substrates. Rinekwall is made of synthetic latex, post consumer waste cellulose fiber (35%), polyester fiber (10%) and wood pulp (10%). This effort towards sustainability is one more reason why Rinekwall is an emblem of a bright future for wallcoverings—from both an aesthetic and environmental perspective.

Via ContractDesign.